"Books! It does not matter how many books you may have, but whether they are good or not" ~ Epistolae Morale (Lucius Annaeus SENECA 3 B.C. - 65 A.D.)Ah, ancient wisdom. What a fitting quote for someone who maintains a small library; it's quality--not quantity that counts.
Circulation Procedures:
It's nice to know that circulation is "the least rule-encumbered of all technical services". It should be this way, as each library serves a unique community of patrons. Each year I tend to tweak circulation procedures a bit as our school grows, as the library grows, and as I "grow into" my job. As for a library policy, this is developed at the school board level (it's a private school) and was in place before I joined the staff. However, this past year I was given permission to tweak policy a bit so that it more closely matched our school’s "reality" and a growing vision for our library.
At My Library...
As I work at a secondary school, students do not have specified class times for library use. Teachers can request and reserve the library space (& the librarian!) for student research or skill-teaching sessions. Occasionally, English teachers will ask for a novel selection session for their classes or groups of students. I use this time to do informal book talks and to feature some our latest acquisitions. Times like these are when circulation is the busiest. Otherwise, most circulation takes place before or after school, during breaks and at lunch. Lunch is my busiest time, and I love it!
In our school the T-L (me) is only available two days per week. On days I am not present at the school, the library is supposed to be supervised by other staff members, if they wish for their students to use the space or sign out resources. During my absent days, we use an "honour system" where students sign out books by recording their name, grade, book title and the resource barcode # into a chart kept in a binder on the T-L's desk. I enter this information into the computer the next day I’m at the school. Believe it or not, this system works quite well, as we are a small school. Next year I hope to have a student T.A. to help me with tasks such as circulation, re-shelving and shelf-reading. Note: I rarely have big “line-ups” of students waiting to sign out books, so it’s faster for me to type in their last name or student # (if they know it – our students never carry their Go-cards with them), rather than scan from their homeroom page of barcodes I keep in a binder in my desk. It’s also a great way for me to remember/memorize student names!
Book returns go into an "unsecured box" in the library (Big dramatic sigh...). Our course notes have stressed the importance of having a secured book returns box and, believe me--I've experienced the "why" of this. This past June, I submitted a request for a secure book return box for the fall. I'm crossing my fingers that this will be granted.
I have a thick stack of cool book marks (from various sources) at my desk and I stamp due dates onto these and stick them into the students' book(s) as a reminder. I also stamp the pocket card or the due date sticky note inside the book.
Book Sign Out: Students are permitted two week loans, while staff members have an unlimited loan period. Next year I’ll request that staff return any library resources at the end of each term, for inventory. Reference books are for library use only. While I’m aware that some libraries allow overnight loans for some reference, I no longer do. Experience has taught me that students rarely return the resource the next day...and as a part-timer, it's difficult to monitor this. Often students only require a page or two from a reference book. If that's the case, I don't mind photocopying it for them, requiring them to record the bibliographic info for a citation. DVD’s are intended for staff use only. However, on occasion a teacher will make a special request for a student to borrow a DVD, if they’ve missed watching it in class. In this case, the teacher takes responsibility for getting the item back (in a timely fashion) from the student.
Overdue Notices: I send these out approx. every 1 to 2 weeks with the school announcements. Our homeroom teachers are supportive in reminding forgetful students and sending them to speak with me about their overdue library resources. I find if I send out notices more frequently, they do not get as much attention.
Books “On Hold”: If an “on hold” book becomes available for a student, this information is also issued with announcements. Hold items are labelled and kept on a special shelf behind my desk. Through our OPAC, students can also place holds for themselves, rate books using a “star rating” system and submit book reviews. Our library system automatically sends students’ reviews to me for approval, before they are posted.
Lost or Damaged Items: (another big, dramatic sigh...)
This has to be my least favourite aspect of the T-L job, but I’ve learned it’s best to be pro-active about damaged/lost books as it happens every year. I’ve recently just revised the “Library Procedures and Policies” section in our student handbook, addressing student responsibility for any library resources signed out in their name. Students review the handbook with their homeroom teachers at the beginning of each year and then sign it. We have a Media Club at our school and I’ve approached them about making a funny-yet-informative library video about circulation procedures, library guidelines etc. The students seemed really keen on this project, so I’m crossing my fingers that we can accomplish this for next year.
If a lost or damaged-beyond-repair book is brand new, I have charged for the full replacement value. I advise students that if the book is eventually found, they will be reimbursed. I have had many cases of students who vehemently tell me: “I know I returned that book!” only to find the book later, on my desk, in the return bin, or—if they’re really brave—sheepishly handed to me following the end-of-the-year locker clean-up.
Inter-Library Loans: for a small library, this has been a "saving grace". We are not part of a district per se, but our library is a part of a larger "Destiny group" under an "umbrella organization". Through Destiny, I can view other schools' collections. I have one or two teacher-librarians from whom I borrow resources quite frequently. They occasionally borrow from our resources as well.
A Final Word... I've enjoyed reading others' input on circulation procedures. It's helpful to learn how others manage circulation at their schools and to glean from others' ideas and wisdom.
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